Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 56%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,350 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Environment—current issues: desertification; depletion of
underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or
permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive
seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills
Environment—international agreements:
party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea
provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through
Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
People
Population: 21,504,613 (July 1999 est.)
note: includes 5,321,938 non-nationals (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 4,705,724; female 4,543,918)
15-64 years: 54% (male 6,925,020; female 4,783,570)
65 years and over: 3% (male 291,449; female 254,932) (1999 est.)